My Man Deidara
by aminerklarinen
Summary: Itachi, a Duke, wants nothing more than the weight of his title off his shoulders. He craves escape from the routine of his life, but never caught a glimpse of its elusive face until he meets Deidara. But as always, a rose has its thorns.
1. Chapter 1

_This came as a request in my inbox while I was taking story suggestions. It's actually kind of a combination of them, with one idea setting the context. I hope you like it, even though I find my writing kind of sh*tty today. I don't think I've ever touched on at Itachi and Deidara pairing before, but I guess due to their conflict in _The Bakery _somebody wanted to see them together:)_

**The Two Worlds**

"Don't be stupid,"

Itachi took one last look at the gardens below him before turning to face his chief advisor, Danzo. Itachi wasn't too thrilled with having him in his chambers, but there was probably nothing he could do.

"You must attend the ceremony tonight," Danzo said again, firmly, with an edge of impatience creeping into his gravelly voice. "You must,"

The old man moved forward a few steps, even though Itachi's edginess was almost suffocating in the room. He would've reached Itachi's side if it wasn't for the warning glance that Itachi rewarded him when he was within three feet. Danzo stopped and clasped his hands together. "Even Sasuke has agreed to go," he added austerely.

Itachi closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. A crow fluttered to the sill of the window Itachi had just been peering out of and called out a few times. His throat felt tight and dry and his heart heavy. He even had a slight migraine coming on, but that was the last of his complaints.

_Then let Sasuke entertain our guests, _Itachi thought childishly. Of course, he didn't say it aloud – that wasn't his style. Besides, as the older brother, it would be the insult of insults if he, the man of the castle, didn't show up merely because he didn't feel up to it. His mouth a thin line, he gave Danzo one last withering look before flicking his hand at him, dismissing him, and saying "I'll go,". Danzo bowed stiffly from the hip and backed away out of the door, closing it gently behind him.

Itachi's shoulders slumped and he realized he'd been tense. He turned to face the crow, which stared at him for a beat before spreading its wings and launching itself off the sill and into the open air. Itachi watched it go.

That was the problem with royal blood. Even if you only had an ounce of it in you, or somehow appeared to have it, you would be considered regal and above so-called "ordinary" people.

_You're placed in a castle, you're expected to run affairs you are in no way related to, and when you finally make your decision you are criticized and poked at by your table of advisors, _Itachi thought. To use a strange analogy, if he was a fish, the amount of royal blood in him would be the size of a scale, but it was apparently enough to make him some sort of a Duke – it was all because the monarch at some point had divided the entire kingdom into too many plots of land and obnoxiously declared that only those of royal descent could control them. If it wasn't for that, Itachi always thought that he wouldn't be in a situation like this.

Tonight, Itachi had somehow attracted a visit from the Vice-Admiral of Konoha and his family, which consisted of two daughters and the Vice-Admiral's wife. Sasuke had blandly commented at breakfast that they probably had nothing better to do, and Itachi had to agree. The land _he _was apparently watching over was by no way significant, but that was not to say it was disposable. He wondered briefly if the visit had anything to do with a planned skirmish that he had been uninformed about, but then thought nothing of it. If he had not heard about it, Danzo undoubtedly would have. And so, it might have either been the out-of-boredom option or, to Itachi's exasperation, the maybe-you'd-be-interested-in-their-daughters option. For some reason, whenever he was told he had to dress smarter to impress a lady or ladies, he was overcome with a feeling of tiredness and disinterest. He knew it was rude and decidedly immature of him—he was nearing the age of twenty, after all, which was apparently past the prime age for marriage. This Itachi scoffed at – he often made the dry remark that Danzo was at least fifty and _he _had no wife. To this, Danzo had curtly replied that his presence at Itachi's side was paramount. In any case, Itachi had never been in the mood to court girls and he didn't know when he'd be ready – he reassured his table of advisors that he would be soon just so that they would shut up for at least five minutes, even though he knew this was pure bullshit. His heart wasn't opening up just yet, and he knew that it wasn't going to any time soon.

There was a knock at the door and Itachi rolled his eyes immediately, a gesture that nobody would ever witness but the confinements of his chambers, straightened his back, adjusted his collar and said "yes?" with as little vexation as he could muster.

Sasuke opened the door wide and stepped through, dressed in midnight blue. He eyed Itachi up and down. "They'll be here in an hour," he said.

Itachi's mouth twitched very slightly. Sasuke noticed this.

"I overheard what it's going to be about," he continued. "From the servants,"

"Out with it, then,"

"It's about the daughters,"

Itachi sighed straightaway. Sasuke shrugged.

"The visits from the girls are becoming commonplace here," the younger brother mused. "I think you'd do well to at least pretend you have _some _interest in at least one of them,"

"If I do, they'll have an engagement ring on my finger within an intake of my breath,"

Sasuke smirked. Itachi ran a hand through his loose, raven-black hair. He looked out of the window again. It was a fine day. It was a shame he wasn't outside. "I think I'll take a bath," he said finally, the look in his eyes cloudy and faraway.

* * *

><p>Deidara fell heavily into the ground. Clots of mud flew up and some fell back down to slap him squarely in the face. He felt the icky dampness of the shit seep into his skin and clothes and instinctively spat onto the ground as he got himself up. Laughs rang out from the other end of the field and Deidara gave them the finger, smiling simultaneously.<p>

"Fuck you, Hidan,"

Hidan shrugged and walked over, dragging his mace along the ground, ripping the grass apart with an ugly, dirty gash. The other boys lagged behind. "Maybe next time, eh, Deidara?"

"Next time will be after I get a good, stiff drink. Then you're in trouble, un, I guarantee you,"

"I thought you weren't very good at drinking, though, shitface,"

"I'm not," Deidara said, ignoring the insult. Words like those were as ordinary in Hidan's speech as the words "the" and "today" were in the average person's speech. And as such, you weren't really meant to take offence in Hidan's overly frequent swearing, no matter how uncouth they prima facie seemed. "That's the point though, yeah?"

"Sure, sure," Hidan tossed the mace to the side and cracked his knuckles, turning back and barking an order at the other boys. The mace was never his weapon-of-choice and therefore he was a little hindered in his combat using it, but somehow, he still managed to own Deidara's ass. Figuratively of course. It shamed Deidara how crap he was at melees, but he knew when it came down to archery and the like, he would regain glory. He clapped Hidan's hand in a sort of good-sportsmanship gesture before trudging wearily towards the stables. His muscles ached and on the fall to the mud he had fell onto his right arm and now it was pulsating with soreness. He rubbed it, heading straight for the water trough and splashed some not-very-clear liquid onto his face, grabbing a nearby cloth and wiping it across his features. He looked at himself in the ripples of the water before slapping the wet cloth back down where it came from before exiting the stables, wrinkling his nose slightly at the stench of horse dung. He probably looked like he was covered in the stuff anyway. He looked down at himself, then at the position of the sun in the sky, before hurrying back to the cottage he and the other stable-hands shared west from the stable. He needed to change and clean the rest of himself up before the Vice-Admiral came. He would only see him for a moment when he handed him the reins of his horse, but appearances were everything when you worked for someone who was even remotely royal. Besides, Deidara heard the man had daughters, and Deidara certainly wasn't going to be seen by girls in _that _state. He opened the door slowly – it creaked on its hinges – before rushing to his room, grabbing the folded set of clothes at the end of his bed in one corner of the room, and rushing back _out, _heading towards the nearby stream. He untied his hair as he walked and shook the blonde strands out. Loads of twigs, grass, hay and other forms of vegetation had somehow lodged themselves in his locks, and he expertly peeled some of it out while stripping off his now brown shirt at the same time. He left his hair alone for a moment to take off his pants, set his clean set of clothes on the bank, and slid into the water. He moaned slightly because of the contact of cool water with his sore muscles as he settled onto the familiar, well-placed rock near the bank and began rubbing himself beneath the water, watching as the mud was pushed off and left to drift aimlessly in the river. Sure enough, beneath the mud, his right arm was red and it was so tender he didn't have to touch it for it to hurt. Deidara sighed a little to himself before bending over slightly to get rid of the mud between his toes.


	2. Chapter 2

_I'm obviously opting for quirkier chapter titles. This is a pretty uneventful chapter – it's probably not one of those that actually contribute to the main story line. I'm just setting the context and things like that. Hope you don't mind this slightly boring chapter._

**II. The Obligatory Analogy of the Bird and Freedom**

"Greetings, Vice-Admiral Tezuko," one of the Duke's advisors—Deidara didn't know which—bowed his head in what seemed to be very practiced respect to the stout, muscular, hawk-faced man that was the Vice-Admiral. Deidara stood behind the advisor, and bowed politely when Tezuko's eyes rest upon him. "To the Uchiha residence. This groom will take your horse, if you wish to unmount here to make your first appearance and do your greetings through the main door. Otherwise, you may wish to take yourself and your family to the stables personally, and then—,"

"Don't worry about all that fuss,"

Tezuko gestured at Deidara, who went forward immediately to clutch firmly the reins of the majestic, glossy-coated brown horse of the Vice-Admiral, patting its long face gently.

"My family and I shall make our appearances through the front door. I'm sure that's where the Duke is expecting us," he adjusted his hat.

"Certainly," the advisor replied. Tezuko was obviously a very proud man, and rightfully so, and he didn't really look like he'd touched a weapon in his life even though he was the Vice-Admiral. Deidara walked deliberate, slow steps so that he could catch a glimpse of the two young daughters, but only caught the back of them as they were helped down from the carriage by two men that the advisor had gestured over. Deidara shrugged to himself and brought the horse over to another stable which house guest's horses. Soon he'd have to go back outside and help unbridle the horses pulling the carriage, something he didn't want to do, so he lingered in the stables, doing everything at a slower rate. Hearing the advisor say _the Uchiha residence _made Deidara consciously realize that he'd never really seen the Duke himself ride horses all that often: his younger brother, Sasuke, did it almost every day, and so Deidara was well acquainted with the impassive young man. The Duke, on the other hand…

"Deidara!" somebody yelled. "Come out here!"

_Urgh. _He almost wanted to yell back "I'm shovelling horse shit over here!" as an excuse, but he caved and went outside. A heavy stack of saddles, bridles, bits and reins were immediately shoved into his arms and he stumbled a bit before shifting his arms a little to get a better hold on them and walking back to wear he had just emerged from.

Come to think of it, Deidara seldom saw the Duke, and he knew it was probably because he was always inside, making decisions or holding functions. Deidara shook his head gently. He'd never talked to him personally, but he sounded like a bit of a wuss.

He stacked the accessories onto the shelves and wiped his forehead. He was hoping he wasn't going to get more tasks to complete—after all, this was the extent of his job. But the head groom could usually come up with some random duties for him to do just to make him look busy, so Deidara wouldn't be surprised if the guy came in while he was lazing around and tell him to go buy fruit or something. He sighed heavily and flicked a finger against one of the overhanging reins. He couldn't wait until all the fuss about the arrival of the Vice-Admiral was over. With all this going on, he doubted he could have a proper meal without being called to do something. He headed outside again to grab an apple. That would have to do.

* * *

><p>Tezuko's handshake was firm, and one look into his hardened eyes and Itachi knew the man was here on a mission. He glanced just over the man's broad shoulders to look at his daughters, who were scanning the castle with hopeful eyes. He looked back at Tezuko and offered the faintest of smiles.<p>

"My brother, Sasuke,"

He stepped back and let his younger brother take over. He was a little more ambitious than Itachi was, and at once, Sasuke somehow struck a business-like rapport with the Vice-Admiral. Itachi walked over to the wife and kissed the back of her hand with practiced firmness.

"My ladies," he said quietly. He avoided the eyes of the daughters as he repeated the gesture with them, and ignored even more their whispers behind their hands after they withdrew them.

"I shall have my advisor, Danzo, show you around the castle," Itachi told Tezuko. "And after you and your family have settled into your rooms, we shall have ourselves a conversation over tea in the drawing room."

"It will be my pleasure, Duke," Tezuko bowed almost as stiffly as Danzo before the troupe headed off. Itachi whipped around and headed straight for his room as soon as they'd turned their backs, ignoring the disapproving look of his other advisor who had greeted them in front of the castle.

"You should have shown them around yourself, sire," the old man hissed as Itachi passed him. Itachi said nothing and pressed on. He was tired of this already. He passed window after window on the spiral staircase that led up to his room in one of the turrets and couldn't help but notice the fat yellow sun against the backdrop of the cloudless blue sky. Not to mention the damned birds, with their wings flapping in the air, gliding along the soft winds like the ocean water over the sand. He bit his lip angrily, wanting to go outside, but knowing he wouldn't ever go back inside if he did so, because he liked it too much out there. Then he wondered why he even cared that he would be, as a result, letting his advisors down. They were all senile old men, and none of them had his best interests at heart, after all.

_It's not just the advisors…it's the people of the land. _

He opened the door to his chambers and tried to remain calm. He only had an hour of peace before it would be disrupted by an afternoon, evening and night of putting up with his guests, and he was planning to spend it as well as possible within the confinements of his room. He stood by the window again and looked outside. The Vice-Admiral's carriage was parked safely under a thatched roof, and somebody was polishing it. Stable-hands were being barked at by the head groom, and a couple of women were running around with basketfuls of wet clothes. Itachi looked away. It was going to be a long day, and an even longer night. He was not looking forward to it at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**III. Where and How They Meet**

Deidara liked the kitchens because of the fireplace. To be technical, though, it wasn't an actual fireplace, it was a wood-filled crevice which provided the heat for a makeshift stove, but it was always lit, as if it were, in fact, a fireplace, so Deidara couldn't be fucked calling it something else. The blonde glanced around the area before grabbing an apple off the fruit basket in the middle of the room and squatting down near the fire to warm himself. It was a particularly cold night, but he hadn't bothered to bring a coat with him. It was because he never lingered in the kitchen for long—he couldn't risk getting caught in the castle—and he thought that the warmth of the fire would suffice anyway. But now that he was actually here, the fire was a little too good to leave so quickly, and—  
>The door creaked open. Deidara sprung up immediately and tossed the apple into the fire. If he was going to get caught here, at least he wouldn't get caught for stealing. He licked some of the apple residue off his fingertips hastily.<p>

* * *

><p>The first thing that struck Itachi was that the fire was ablaze and that there was somebody in the room. He himself was wearing his sleepwear, but had flung a thick, fur-trimmed coat over the top. The other person in the room was not wearing much at all, and at once Itachi had him down as one of his subordinates that worked outside in the fields. That much was clear from his slightly dirt-smeared shirt and loose brown pants that were cinched just above his hip. But what struck Itachi most was how the fire lit up the man's face: it made him look mysterious and surreal. He was absentmindedly mesmerized, and only when the blonde coughed into his fist did he realize he'd been staring. While orange-yellow flames licked at the slices of wood, filling the room with a pleasant crackling noise, Itachi said, "I was under the impression there would be nobody here,"<br>Deidara smirked a little despite the situation: he was too busy inspecting the Duke's features. He hardly ever caught a long enough glimpse of the man, after all. He looked severe, intelligent and calculating, even more so than Sasuke, and Deidara never thought it humanly possible, and the lines that slanted across his cheeks made him look perpetually troubled.  
>"Me too, sire," Deidara replied, opting for a more jocular statement so that he might be able to coax his way out of the room. He offered a slight smile, one the Duke didn't return. Expected. After all, Sasuke never returned his smiles either. Itachi looked around the kitchen. To be completely honest, he had hardly ever ventured down here before, but as the night progressed he had lost his appetite completely due to the nonstop badgering of the Vice-Admiral, and he had decided in bed to come down here to grab a bite to eat before he lost it again when he met Danzo for breakfast. Deidara eyed the Duke carefully. He was nervous, no doubt, about being in the presence of the Duke himself, but there was something about the man's current demeanour that made him forget about all the formalities and social etiquettes and just sat himself near the pseudo fireplace and rubbed his arms. He began to regret not bringing his coat.<br>The calmness of the other guy around him surprised Itachi. Indeed, it was highly unusual for any of his subordinates to even sit down in such a way around him, let alone look like they didn't regard him as the Duke at all. This blonde was acting like Itachi was just some other guy. The Uchiha didn't know whether to feel insulted or pleased. In the end, he was intermediate between both, and walked nearer to the small fireplace to warm himself.

"How was your night, sire?" Deidara asked when he sensed the Duke near. He didn't lift his eyes from the fire. He was watching his apple burn. He was only starting a conversation to be polite, and because sitting around in silence while he was obviously trespassing seemed a little awkward.  
>We're both trespassing, in a sense, Deidara thought, smiling a bit at the thought. He didn't think the Duke was allowed to come out for midnight snacks.<br>Itachi didn't consider the question much, just answered automatically: "It was tiring,"

Deidara smiled a crooked smile because the cold was making his lips shiver. "Ah. The daughters tired you out, I bet, un,"

Itachi's fists involuntarily clenched at the mention of the daughters. It seemed over the top, but it was not only his mind that had become completely reproachful whenever somebody mentioned daughters or bachelorettes, but also his body. His muscles seemed to have a mind of their own, and it was a reactive habit of his to clench his fists for the smallest fraction of a second when the words were mentioned. Nobody ever noticed this of course, so Deidara just sat there like he hadn't just mentioned the currently most dreaded word in Itachi's dictionary. The statement, though, was true.

"Yes. They did,"

"Hmm. What a life," Deidara mused light-heartedly. He didn't sound jealous, nor did he sound like he was mocking Itachi. It was just a simple statement. The blonde exhaled loudly and got up. He looked at the Duke and cocked his head a little. Itachi still thought it weird that this guy was acting in complete nonchalance around him, and it obviously showed in his face:  
>"You know what the rule is around here?" Deidara began again, tapping his fingers gently against the rim of the fruit basket. Itachi raised an eyebrow. Was this stable-hand asking him if he knew about rules? Was he about to impose one on him? It was a little ironic.<br>"You see, sire, if you ever meet anybody in the kitchen who is also not permitted to be here in the hours of the night, you're meant to pretend you never saw anything, un…," the blonde grabbed an orange and tossed it up in the air. "…and you're meant to overlook the social statuses of the parties present,"  
><em>Including a Duke<em>? Itachi thought. Deidara looked at him in the eyes again and smiled.  
><em>Including a Duke<em>, he seemed to think back. The blonde's smile transformed into a grin as he chuckled a bit at the dark look on Itachi's face.  
>"We're both somewhere we're not supposed to be, after all," Deidara explained, his attention on the orange now. "We might as well make the experience more enjoyable, don't you think? If you made a ruckus out of it, you'd be in trouble just as much as I am…yeah,"<p>

_Probably on different scales, but yes_. Itachi could just imagine the crap that would come out of his advisor's mouths about how rude it was creeping around at night with guests around, even though Itachi found no basis in the statement at all. How was that even rude?  
>He nodded wordlessly. Deidara glanced at him then began peeling the orange. His body was suddenly buzzing with something: it was an odd feeling that he was with the Duke, but an even odder one that the Duke was listening to what he had to say. It made Deidara's stomach flip, in the way your stomach flips when you're with someone you find interesting…alone. But of course Deidara didn't think that way. He just took it as nerves.<p>

"I take it you're hungry, hey, un," Deidara went on. "There's bread and butter in the pantry. You can make toast,"

Itachi looked behind himself, peering into the darkness. Deidara brushed past him and opened a door quietly. Itachi could barely see him. He re-emerged with a loaf of bread and butter on a wooden block. He placed it quietly on the table, pulled out a drawer and produced a knife and a butter knife. As the Duke buttered the bread, Deidara peeled and ate the orange. It was a nice atmosphere, like everything was indeed forgotten.

"I better go soon," Deidara said all of a sudden. He tossed the peels into the waste basket and wiped off his hands on his clothes again. "I have to be up at dawn. I better catch the last few hours available to me, un,"

Itachi just nodded. He put the bread on the end of the long metal tongs that sat beside the stove and began toasting his bread.

"What are you?" he asked, his voice husky in the quiet of the kitchen. He glanced up at Deidara.

"Me, un? I am a stable-hand," Deidara ran a hand through his long blonde hair. "My name is Deidara,"

"Deidara...I see. So…," Itachi withdrew the bread from the fire and straightened up. "…you're looking after the Vice-Admiral's horses, I suppose?"

"His own horse, no less," Deidara grumbled. "If so much as a hair is lost off that horse, un, this is the last you'll ever see of me, sire,"

This made Itachi smile a bit. Deidara noticed this and returned the smile tenfold. It was true. The man was crazy about his horse.

"Well, I suppose I should leave you alone now," Deidara waved a bit at Itachi. "You probably need some peace and quiet before those advisors dig their claws in you again, hmmm?" he gave the Duke one last, knowing look before letting himself out the back door, closing it very slowly, very quietly behind him.  
>Itachi bit into his toast and turned back to face the fire. There was an apple burning there. <p>


	4. Chapter 4

**IV. Getting Warmer**

Itachi woke with a sore back. He groaned a little as he got up and realized he'd been sleeping slightly curled up on his bed, and when he took off his shirt and twisted around, his lower back was slightly red. Sighing, he put the shirt aside and spotted the coat with the fur flung somewhat haphazardly over the back of one of his chairs. His body flooded over with a warm feeling, starting from the pit of his stomach and then slowly spreading until it reached his fingertips and toes. Maybe it was the fireplace. Or maybe it was the fact that there were no barriers between him and Deidara. Either way, the atmosphere was just something Itachi had never experienced before, and it left him a little curious over whether or not it could happen again tonight. He shrugged the thought away – it was a chance happening. After that encounter, Itachi was doubtful over whether or not Deidara would venture to the kitchens ever again. The guy had seemed pretty carefree, sure, but Itachi had only talked to him for about fifteen, twenty minutes before he up and left. He picked up the coat and replaced it in his closet.

"Good morning, sire,"

Itachi jumped a little and turned around, glaring at the doorway. Impeccable and intrusive as always, Danzo bowed when the Uchiha's effeminately lashed eyes rested on him with a laser-beam stare.

"I'm pleased to see you're awake already,"

Itachi grunted in response and pulled a crisp, long-sleeved white shirt over his head. It, of course, was tailor-made to fit him perfectly and it sat on him like a second skin. Since it was getting cold lately, he had to wear this shirt underneath, because it always kept him warm. He didn't know what it was made out of, but it kept the winds out.

"The Vice-Admiral and his family are in the process of getting ready, so if you'd quickly make your way down to the dining room and greet them for breakfast, that would be superb,"

Itachi nodded and buttoned the second shirt up to his chin. He knew exactly what needed to happen whenever he had guests, so he had no idea why Danzo always came up and told him.

"Fortunately for you, however, you need not do anything with them for the entire day, with meal times being the exception. The young ladies and the wife want to go shopping for new clothes to wear—they've heard about the debutante event coming up—and the Vice-Admiral would like to go hunting,"

Itachi nodded again. He finally put on a thick, embellished black coat and buttoned it up, following Danzo out of his room. They went down the stairs, arriving at the foyer, where the floors were being scrubbed and polished. There were a couple of men coming in and out, some balancing boxes in their arms, and some carrying sacks. Itachi kept his eyes peeled for the waterfall of blonde hair, but the only blonde he saw was on the head of a guy that was too bulky to be Deidara. The Duke gave up, and on entering the dining room, saw that his younger brother was already there.

Sasuke took a sip out of his cup. Itachi didn't have to look in it to know it was pure black tea. The two brothers nodded to each other as a greeting as silver plates carrying bread rolls and fruit. Feeling a little more pumped with the knowledge he wouldn't be holed up in a drawing room with the guests for another three hours, Itachi was seriously considering getting out of the castle to get to know the place more. From the outside in.

"Good morning, everyone,"

The Uchihas pushed their chairs back slowly and plastered almost identical, thin smiles on their faces.

* * *

><p>"Get up!"<br>"I _am _up, un!" Deidara kicked the fraying blanket off in annoyance and sat up, glaring at the head groom. He slid his slightly numb feet into a pair of wool-lined boots and sighed loudly. He knew he shouldn't have gone out in the middle of the night for a snack, because his head pounded, his eyes drooped and his nose was blocked. Clearly, he hadn't gotten enough sleep, and it felt like his head had only just hit the pillow when the bell rung for him to get up. He trudged outside yawning and rubbing his eyes, because somebody had told him through his half-awake stupor that the Vice-Admiral was going to go hunting, and he needed to saddle the creature up, since it was under his charge. Deidara found the horse right where he'd left it. It had already been fed, and Deidara set about readying it for its rider. When that was done, he sat on top of the barrel nearby and waited for his cue. When somebody finally whistled, Deidara had gotten himself together as best he could before he tugged a little on the reins and headed outside. The icy air bit his face and his cheeks reddened instantly. He looked up across the field, and his heart thudded a bit when he met the Duke's eyes. He looked a lot less cold than Deidara, but looked as tired as he did. The blonde offered a wobbly smile before handing the reins over to Tezuko, who mounted immediately.

"This way," the head groom held out his free hand and the duo headed off. Deidara shoved his gloved hands in his pockets and shuffled around, trying to keep warm.

"Did you get much sleep, then, un?" Deidara asked, his tone as jovial as ever. "Didn't stay out too late, hmm?"

Itachi scanned the fields slowly. Despite the fact it was winter, the grass was still as green as ever and were amazingly well-kept. In the far distance, he could see a vineyard.

"I ate the toast and left," he answered without making eye contact. Deidara nodded as if he was interested in the simple answer, and wondered if that was his cue to leave. He did, after all, have things to do, but if he was in the Duke's presence, nobody could nag him. But again, did the Duke even want him there? The guy made no indication. If Deidara could read minds, however, he would know that Itachi wanted him to stay more than he wanted him to leave.

"Another day, huh?" Deidara continued, trying to quash the awkward silence between them, even though it wasn't unusual between a Duke and his subjects. "What are your plans, hmmm?"

"None,"

"None…?"

Itachi nodded. He looked at the blonde man, who was going a bit blue at the lips, and voiced something he would never have thought could come out of his mouth.

"Come inside,"

"What?" Deidara looked up from his feet to Itachi. It was certainly an odd thing to suggest. Itachi faltered a little.

"You…it's cold out here,"

Deidara's breath came out misty, and no matter how weird the offer was, he couldn't say no.

As soon as Itachi came through the door, a page bowed politely and handed him a stack of sealed envelopes, giving Deidara a look, before leaving. The blonde couldn't help but notice how exasperated Itachi always looked, and wondered if he was meant to be following the guy when he headed up the central set of stairs. He decided to follow. The Duke was shuffling through the envelopes, looking at the addressors, and halfway up the stairs, he paused and handed Deidara two of them.

"Hold them for me," was all he said before he continued up the stairs. Deidara, still completely bewildered over what exactly was happening, looked at the envelopes and found they were all invitations to some sort of social gathering. It made him smile. If the Duke didn't take any fancy to the girls that visit him, it would only be natural to assume that he would never accept invitations to debutante balls. A man bowed and opened a door, which revealed a warm room with an actual, immense fireplace and ceiling-to-floor shelves stacked with books and papers. Itachi sat himself behind the huge desk against the opposite wall to the door and Deidara sat in one of the chairs across from him, placing the envelopes in front of him.

Itachi paged threw a couple of the letters before piling them in one corner. He pulled out a piece of parchment.

"If I ever get invites," Itachi said while he was searching around his drawers for a writing instrument. "I want you to hide them. But keep them,"

"Huh?"

Itachi didn't look at him, making Deidara thoroughly perplexed. _Is he giving me duties? _

The Uchiha wrote something down, scrawling along the top of the paper, taking his time. He didn't address Deidara's clear confusion because he didn't know exactly what he was doing himself, either. When he had seen the stable-hand standing in the cold, something just came to him, and he just blurted out the invitation before he had time to even think of why he was doing it. It just all felt like something he was meant to do. Now that he was just sitting there, he had time to collect his thoughts, and in the end concluded that maybe he wanted Deidara…to be near him, as strange as that sounded, as some sort of confidante, since to everyone else Itachi would be suspicious that they were dispatched by Danzo to spy on him or something equally as invasive. He and Deidara had met in such a spontaneous way, Itachi doubted he had anything to do with Danzo. The Duke had no idea what prompted him to even _want _a confidante in the first place, but he didn't even try to decipher it.

_Perhaps as the days pass, it will become clear. _

* * *

><p>Outside the door, Danzo stood, listening. There was a creak as somebody shifted in their chair. Danzo had seen it all happen. He'd seen the look in Itachi's eyes – it was something he'd never seen before. It made him incredibly curious, but he didn't know the meaning behind it either. He made a mental note in his head to tell the head groom when he came back from the hunting group that Deidara would no longer be working in the stable. Danzo wasn't sure if this was part of Itachi's intentions, but it was <em>his <em>intention, as his advisor, to make the best out of an odd situation. He licked his lips and made another note to visit Deidara later. Alone.


	5. Chapter 5

**V. Shake On It**

Deidara rubbed his feet together. He'd kicked off his boots discreetly underneath the mammoth desk and was basking in the warmth that emanated from the nearby fire. He glanced over at it. Why didn't Itachi just come to his study if he wanted a fire? It would be easy enough to sneak some bread in here, wouldn't it? Deidara wasn't sure, but he thought he'd give it a try. That's if he was going to always be up here, and as of yet, he still didn't know what he was doing with Itachi. He glanced over at the Duke, who was still writing, and wondered if it'd be annoying if he started talking to him. After all, he didn't have much to do.

"You're going to have to help me seal all these later,"

Deidara turned to look at the Uchiha, who peered up at him. Several seconds of complete silence passed between them, Deidara's gaze puzzled and Itachi's hesitant but firm.

"So…I'm helping _you_ now, am I, hm?"

Itachi couldn't look at him when he answered "yes," because it was just plain awkward. And was it suggestive? Itachi couldn't tell what Deidara was thinking, but he hoped that he wasn't the only one having butterflies in his stomach.

"Ah…hmm…I see," Deidara brought his hand up to his mouth and faked a cough, but he was smiling widely behind it. Part of the reason was because he thought the stable was a bit of a shithole, despite all his friends, and the other part…there was certainly going to be _very _interesting experiences to be had if you were with the Duke, right? He mock-sighed and looked around the room more observantly, now that he was going to be a very regular visitor here. Rising slowly, he took a glimpse at Itachi to see if it was okay for him to do so, slipped into his boots again, and was reaching out to take a book from the shelf when there was a knock at the door. The knocker didn't wait for an answer.

Itachi didn't have to look up to know who it was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Deidara withdraw his hand from the book and turn to face Danzo.

"Sire, I—oh. And who is this?"

Deidara sensed the atmosphere between them almost immediately and jauntily strode forward and bowed, because the man was his elder, and an advisor of the Duke.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Deidara,"

"Deidara…," Danzo repeated. He looked at the blonde through his I've-seen-it-all-and-done-it-all wrinkly eyes and clasped his hands together. "And what is your business here, Deidara?"

The tiny hairs on the back of Itachi's neck rose and he stood up. He wanted Deidara to have as little to do with Danzo as possible.

"He's here to assist me," he said, daring Danzo to challenge his decision. "I need somebody_…else…_to help handle my affairs,"

"If you wanted somebody, you need only ask," Danzo reasoned, but there was something in his tone to suggest that he wasn't going to send Deidara away. It made Itachi relax a little.

A little.

"But I will acknowledge your choice. I will re-arrange his employment in due time,"

"Then go and do so,"

"Deidara, will you come with me?"

The newly former stable-hand glanced at Itachi, who was too busy focusing his mysterious eyes on Danzo, who, conversely, was doing a pretty good job of ignoring the Duke completely. Deidara smiled quickly.

"Okay,"

Itachi watched them leave the room carefully. Sure, he wanted to stop them, but on the other hand it might be useful to know what Danzo was planning…that is, if Deidara would tell him. Itachi knew exactly where Danzo was going to take the guy—to his own study. He should've known this was going to happen, and probably should've forewarned Deidara, but he was too muddled up in his own mind as to what he was doing inviting the blonde back in the first place, and it had escaped his mind.

Nervous, he tapped his fingers against the wooden surface of the table.

* * *

><p>As the door closed behind them with a soft thud, Danzo stepped around Deidara and sat himself down slowly behind his own desk, smaller than Itachi's but still big. Deidara didn't feel the need or want to sit down, so he just shoved his hands in his pockets and waited.<p>

"So he wants you to be his...hm…companion, I suppose you would be called?"

"I guess, un. I mean if he says so, then yeah?"

"Indeed. It has been known for Dukes, Viscounts, Earls, men of all ranks of nobility to want to have one. But our Duke…," Danzo made a note in a large logbook that was bound by what looked like leather. He didn't look at Deidara, but Deidara somehow felt like he was being watched and judged. "…it seems a bit unusual that he would select you out of the so many people available,"

Deidara shrugged, obviously not wanting to mention the kitchen incident. That would be stupid.

"You must know our Duke is a difficult one," the old man continued. He put down his reed pen down and only now did he look at Deidara. "I want you to keep a sharp eye on him. You realize as his companion, you are a man of many responsibilities? You will be the closest to him. Right now, you may not be, but later, you will know him better than any of us will, and I have worked with him since he was a boy. If he ever comes under any unexpected danger, you must defend him, you realize that?"

_Uh…_Deidara nodded but didn't say anything. Now that this elderly dude was in front of him, telling him everything he must take on, it felt all the more peculiar that Itachi plucked him out of the blue, and only after a single meeting. And during that meeting, they hadn't exactly struck a warm rapport with each other.

Nevertheless, the blonde decided not to give it too much thought, but clearly Danzo was.

"He hides many things from his advisors. If he told us things he is meant to tell us, he wouldn't need you,"

Deidara nodded again.

_Obedient as a dog, _Danzo thought. _And thoroughly lost. _He narrowed his eyes a little.

"I want you to tell me if anything interesting arises," he said. "I worry about the Duke. I want to be prepared if wants to try anything abnormal,"

"Like what, un?"

"Anything at all. I want to know everything,"

Deidara looked directly into Danzo's eyes. It was the first time he really looked, and he was giving Danzo a strange, curious, "are-you-seriously-telling-me-to-spy-on-him" look. But the ex-stable-hand didn't ask him anything. It wasn't a bad thing or a good thing.

_Go on, _Danzo prompted silently. _Agree with me._

"There will be…extra money involved," was what he said aloud.

"Sure, un," Deidara replied, almost instantly. He smiled craftily. "I'll help you,"

Danzo regarded Deidara very, very carefully, taking in every muscle of the blonde's face. He detected no deception behind them and stood up, offering his hand. With the smile still plastered on his face, Deidara took two steps forward and grasped the advisor's hand firmly in his, shaking it.

_Deal. _


End file.
